A 13th-century chapel hidden inside what was, for centuries, a much larger 17th-century basilica. When the Soviets ordered the basilica torn down in 1936 to widen Abovyan Street, demolition crews exposed the medieval core inside it — and authorities, reluctantly, allowed the small church to stand. It was the only working religious building in central Yerevan throughout most of the Soviet period.
Today the chapel has been rejoined by a new larger church and a chancellery on the same plot. It is a five-minute walk from Republic Square and worth seeking out, both for its survival story and the carved 13th-century khachkars (cross-stones) inside.